What made Don Bradman so special - A perennial Query

What made Don Bradman so special – A perennial Query: Sir Donald Bradman was, beyond any argument, the greatest batsman who ever lived and the greatest cricketer of the 20th century. Despite losing four years of playing days due to World War II, Don Bradman is still head and shoulders above the rest. Try and think about commonalities among Vivian Richards, Graeme Pollock, Brian Lara, Zaheer Abbas, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar apart from them being great batsmen for their teams. Well, they all were compared with an actually incomparable player named Don Bradman. It is therefore little surprise that Wisden, cricket’s bible, hailed Bradman as “the greatest phenomenon in the history of cricket.”

Also read : 21 Statistical facts about Sir Don Bradman

Don Bradman’s batting technique has been the subject of curiosity and analysis from every corner of the world. He dominated world cricket during his career, combining an unorthodox style of play with great levels of concentration. Let us dwell deep into the intricacies of Don’s batting technique:

Bradman was not a big man (5’ 7’’), but he was athletic and fast on his feet. His technique could not be described as classical or aesthetically pleasing. Much of his early cricket in Bowral was played on matted concrete pitches, surfaces that offered bounce to bowlers. The nature of the pitches and Bradman’s natural instinct meant that he had an inclination of playing off the back foot. The hook, pull and cut shots brought him thousands of runs.

Grip: Bradman had very little coaching, which is why he had an unorthodox grip. His hands were some distance apart on the handle, with his left hand turned over so far that it was almost at the back of it, resulting in the face of his bat being closed – facing the leg side, when he took guard.

Stance: What set Bradman apart were quick eyes, fast feet, determination and an exemplary appetite for runs. He was remarkably still at the crease, when the bowler released the ball, not wanting to give the opponent any indication of what he was about to do. He was a glorious driver, and hit the ball very hard, while his placing was almost invariably perfect. He scored most of his runs by driving and seldom played aerial shots.

Footwork: Another telling factor was the decisiveness of Bradman’s footwork. He made full use of the crease, completing some shots with his feet behind the line of the stumps. He was fearless coming down the pitch too, with his fast feet and hands allowing him to get to the pitch of the ball.

Despite all his genius, Bradman did have some weaknesses. Left arm orthodox spin troubled him the most as did leg spin. Hedley Verity, one of the great left-arm spinners of that time, dismissed him eight times, the most ever by any bowler.

Bradman’s Best:

1. 254 v England, Lord’s, 1930 –

Australia lost the first Test of the 1930 Ashes in Nottingham by 93 runs and in the second Test at Lord’s the tourists were in trouble after England scored 425 in their first innings. Donald Bradman then entered the scene, scoring 254 in his maiden Test innings at the home of cricket. When Bradman was finally out Australia were 160 runs ahead of England and on course for victory.

2. 334 v England, Headingley, 1930 –

Not satisfied with his 254 run knock at Lord’s, Bradman then went on to Leeds where he scored 334, then the highest score in Test cricket. On the first day of the Test Bradman struck 309 unbeaten runs, accumulating more than 100 in each session. The knock was a classsic display of glorious drives and lovely back foot punches.

3. 173* v England, Headingley, 1948 –

With the Ashes already won, Australia’s “Invincibles” were set the unlikely target of 404 on the final day of the fourth Test. No Test side had ever come close to achieving such a goal on the final day of a Test. But Australia romped home with 15 minutes to spare after Bradman, 173 not out, and Arthur Morris, 182, put on 301 in 217 glorious minutes of batting. The worn state of the pitch made the feat even more memorable. Jim Laker, the England off-spinner, was turning the ball considerably but Bradman battled all odds to score a match winning ton. It was also his last Test century.

The closest anybody came to the Sir Don was Sachin Tendulkar. But he too, could never emulate some of Bradman’s legendary feats. Even in the 21st century, which has seen the likes of Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis, Alastair Cook and several other batsmen scoring tens of thousands of runs and hitting many centuries, Bradman continues to remain unsurpassed and unapproached.